Hang On in There
by HammondLee
Summary: TT/RSO - *Mark/Robbie*, *Heidi/Jordan* with possible hints of *Dean/Lara*: The Take That lads visit Australia for the first time in years on a promo tour for their up and coming record. However, during an outside gig to a large crowd, a major accident occurs. Is this accident enough to change two people's lives forever or will things, eventually, get better?


_**This story is a collaboration with my sister**_(HeKillsWithHisSmile)_** that we have been thinking of doing for a while. It's a Take That/Rescue Special Ops crossover, but background knowledge of the fandoms is not really needed. Though, if you know about one, then that's probably best. This way, it's a readable fanfic for both TT fans and RSO fans alike! XD**_

_**Also, I'm sorry that there's no RSO in this first chapter, but they'll come in, in due course.**_

_**Enjoy!**_

* * *

"Right, here we go, three beers and two diet cokes. Sorry it took so long, the barman couldn't be any slower." Jason said as he put the tray of drinks down in the middle of the table the five of them were sitting at in the bar not far from the studio they were working in.

"Cheers Jay," Robbie said as he grabbed his diet coke from the tray and taking a sip before putting the glass down.

"So, what did I miss while the barman took an eternity to pour five drinks?" Jason asked as he sat down in his seat next to Howard.

"Not much," Gary said. "We were just talking about the promo tour, but decided to wait until you returned until we carried on. Didn't realise you were going to take so long."

"Blame the barman." Jason smiled. "Anyway, what about the promo tour?"

"Well, we were discussing locations and that." Howard told him. "Mark said that he was talking to Jonathan earlier about it." Howard nodded over at Mark, next to Robbie, as he took a sip of his drink.

"Yeah, he said something about if we would like to go over to Australia and do something there for a week or so." Mark explained.

"Australia?" Gary said. It was clear already that he wasn't that keen on the idea of going that far out of Europe. Not that anyone could blame him, really. Gary was easily got homesick if he was away from his family for too long. It was something that had become apparent when the four of them had started touring again eight years ago.

"It's only for a week Gary," Mark told him, understanding why his friend didn't seem to be keen on the idea.

"I know, but it's so far away."

"He's got a point, Mark." Howard said. "It's a long journey and I think I've just about forgotten what it's like to be on a plane with Rob for a whole day." Robbie gave him a stern look before kicking him under the table.

"Shut up, Howard." Robbie said. "I was young and easily bored." Robbie told him as he took another sip from his drink.

"Yet, at the age of forty, nothing's changed." Mark grinned at him before yelping when Robbie gave him a quick sideways kick under the table. Everyone else just laughed.

Once the five of them had calmed down from that outburst, Jason took a sip of his drink before breaking the silence.

"I'm not sure Australia's a good idea, Mark." He told him, trying not to notice the way Mark's eyes filled with disappointment. "We haven't been there in years and the last single we had there was 'Shine'."

"I know, but we didn't get to go last time we did a promo tour and it'd be nice to go back now that Rob's back." Mark said. He wasn't going to give up just yet on getting the guys to agree with him on this.

"I've been back four years and you only come up with this now?" Robbie said looking across at Mark.

"Well, like you guys said, it's been a long time since we went there and it didn't cross my mind – or Jonathan's for that matter – back then. And, technically, we had that two year break, so you've only been back for two years." Mark told him.

"All right, fair enough, but still." Robbie said.

"Come on guys, please. Its one week, a few interviews and a few performances. It's not like we haven't done anything like that before." Mark said with a pleading tone to his voice and a pleading look in his eyes.

"It's just a long way away and a little out of our market." Gary told him.

"And? When did that stop us back then?"

"We're not kids anymore, Marky. We know where we stand and we should stick to it."

"It wouldn't hurt to go somewhere different every once in a while." It was apparent that Mark wasn't going to give up on this any time soon, no matter how much the other guys told him that they weren't too keen on the idea of going back to Australia.

No-one said anything for a while and the five of them just sat around their, drinking their drinks, thinking about what it would be like to go back there and do a bit of promo work. Maybe Mark was right, maybe it wouldn't hurt to go somewhere different every once in a while. After all, it was only one country, but it was the fact that it was so far away that was putting them off more than anything else.

Eventually, after a few minutes of silence, it was Robbie who turned to look at Mark, breaking the silence first.

"You've got a point, I suppose." He said. Mark looked at him and smiled, happy that someone was finally starting to agree with him on this.

"You want to come?" He asked.

"It wouldn't hurt I guess." Mark grinned at him before giving him a quick hug and a peck on the cheek before pulling away and looking at the others.

"Guys?" Mark could see his friends give it some thought before each of them answered in turn. When they all, finally, agreed to come, Mark let out the breath he didn't realise he had been holding.

...

A month later, the five of them were packing for their trip to Australia. It was nearly time for the Christmas period by the time the time came for them to head off into the sun. It was probably safe to say that Mark was the only one who was really looking forward to promoting their record here, but none of the others were going to put a damper on his mood and promised themselves that they would try and enjoy this. After all, they had agreed to do this. It wasn't as if Mark had forced them to come, though, in all honestly, you could put it like that. The look he had given them was that same look that none of them could say no to, no matter how much they told themselves to.

Robbie sat in the bedroom he shared with Mark, watching as his partner tried to pack his suitcase as tightly as he could. Mark hadn't noticed him staring at him yet and Robbie was finding it amusing as he watched Mark tried to zip up his suitcase, his tongue pocking out ever so slightly as he concentrated.

Shaking his head with a grin on his face, Robbie stood up and went over to help Mark. Eventually, the two of them got the case closed and lifted it onto the floor next to Robbie's.

"Come on; let's put these down stairs by the door so they're ready to go when we leave in the morning." Robbie said, grabbing his case and pulling the handle up. "What time are we leaving again?"

"I think we have to be at the airport at two in the morning so we can catch the plane at four." Mark said, trying to remember what Jonathan had told them.

"Brilliant," Robbie said sarcastically.

"So, I think we'd better go to bed now so we can actually sleep before having to get up and get ready." Mark told him as they dragged their cases down the stairs.

Robbie looked at his watch before looking up at Mark. "It's six o'clock."

"I know, but we're gonna have to start getting ready in about six hours so we can leave and get to the air port on time." Mark told him, pushing the handle back down on his suitcase. "Besides, I'm tired and could do with a nap."

"All right, I'll be up in a minute. I'm just gonna grab a sandwich or something. You want anything?" Robbie asked.

"Sandwich please." Mark said before running up the stairs and into their room. Robbie watched him go before making his way into the kitchen to make himself and Mark a quick sandwich.

...

Mark quickly stripped of his clothes before throwing on his pyjamas and sliding underneath the duvet on his side of the bed. He sighed contently before pulling up the duvet cover, curling up more before closing his eyes and feeling himself falling asleep.

He didn't realise he had fallen asleep until he was shaken awake by Robbie, who was now sitting on his side of the bed, under the covers, holding a plate that held the sandwich he had made for him.

Mark blinked a couple of times before smiling at Robbie and sitting up on the bed next to Robbie before taking the plate off him.

"Thanks," Mark said before yawning. "Where's yours?" He asked, noticing that Robbie didn't appear to have made anything for himself like he said he was going to.

"I ate mine. Thought I'd let you sleep for a bit before I gave you yours." He said. "That and I couldn't help but stare at you. You're so cute when you're sleep, you know that right?"

"I try," Mark grinned, kissing Robbie before taking a bite out of his sandwich. Robbie just shook his head and ruffled Mark's hair.

...

Surprisingly to him, Robbie was awake first. He opened his eyes and found Mark, still fast asleep, his head resting on his chest with his arm wrapped tightly around Robbie's waist. Robbie smiled and rubbed circles on Mark's back. Mark smiled in his sleep and shifted slightly, but didn't awake.

Looking across at the clock, Robbie found that it was nearly midnight and so decided to leave Mark sleeping for a few minutes more. Besides, it was likely that Mark would wake up naturally any moment anyway.

He was right and not two minutes later, Mark started to stir. As he opened his eyes, he looked up at Robbie and gave him a small smile before yawning and stretching slightly.

"Is it time to get up?" He asked.

"'Fraid so, Marky." Robbie tod him. "Don't worry, though, I'll let you sleep on the plane."

"What about the airport?" Mark asked.

"I'll need someone to keep me sane in the mass of people." Mark just laughed.

"All right then, let's get ready." The two of them jumped out of bed before taking it in turns to use the bathroom. Once they were both ready, they loaded their suitcases into the boot of the car before Mark started the vehicle and drove the two of them all the way down to Heathrow.

...

They met up by the airport entrance an hour or so later. It was now approaching two o'clock and it was safe to say that none of them were really in favour of the early start.

Out of the five of them, Howard and Jason were the last to arrive. As they walked up to the entrance, their suitcases dragging behind them, the others could see a look of annoyance on both men's faces. As they approached, everyone else realised that the look that covered their faces was directed at Mark, who just smiled one of his innocent smiles at them before Howard spoke.

"You're evil, you know that, Mark?" Howard said as they stopped with their cases.

"I've been telling him the same thing for the past twenty-four years." Robbie said. Mark looked up at him, his eyes narrow, but Robbie just smiled and ruffled his hair.

"Why did you make us do this?" Jason asked him as he rubbed his eyes, looking like he was trying not to fall asleep standing up.

"I told you, it's good to do something different every once in a while." Mark said, not fazed by the looks his friends were giving him.

"I tell you what, this is the last time we're going this far out of the UK." Gary said, pulling up the handle on his suitcase. "Should we get going, then?"

"Might as well, we do have a plane to catch." Robbie said, grabbing his suitcase and taking Mark's hand in his own.

As the five of them entered the airport, suitcases in hand, they could hear the sound of planes leaving and coming in; the sounds of people rushing by trying to catch the right planes; the sounds of children crying because they don't want to go or were tired and the sounds of some people faintly snoring as they tried to catch up on sleep before having to board their flight. It was just what you would expect from a major airport in the middle of the night.

"Jonathan said he's going to meet us at the hotel when we arrive." Mark told them as they made it into the lounge, awaiting their flight to be called. "He told me his flight was yesterday and that he's already in the country."

"Does he know what we're doing over there yet?" Gary asked.

"He said he's finalising everything and will tell us when we've arrived and recovered from jetlag." Mark explained.

There was a silence between them for a while before Robbie yawned and lay down so his head was resting on Mark's lap.

"Wake me up when the flight's called." He said, yawning again before closing his eyes.

"Oh, so is this why you didn't want me to fall asleep in the airport? So you can use my lap as a pillow?" Mark asked, one eyebrow raised.

"Yep," Robbie said, popping the 'p' with a small smile on his face. You're more comfortable than a chair in an airport."

"Cheers, I think that's a compliment." Mark said. Robbie just nodded and Mark knew that it was only a matter of seconds before Robbie would be fast asleep.

...

It was ages before their flight was finally called, but at quarter to four, the five of them were finally boarding their plane. There weren't as many people on it as they would've first thought, but that was almost better in a way. Less people meant the plane might be quieter meaning that they could actually attempt to catch up on some of the sleep they had lost during the night.

As they took their seats and buckled up, Mark could already feel himself drift off. Thankfully, he was the one sitting by the window and so rested his head on the wall of the plane and closed his eyes.

Next to him, Robbie sat looking across at Mark, already asleep against the wall of the plane. He smiled at him before putting a hand on Mark's shoulder and looking at him closely. Yep, he was definitely already gone. Grinning, Robbie turned round to look at the other three behind him.

"Mark's gone already." He said.

"He asleep?" Gary asked.

"Yeah,"

"By the looks of things, I don't think Howard and Jason are far off either." Gary said looking at the two of them next to him, who smiled tired smiles back.

"We'll last the next half hour or so." Howard said whilst yawning.

"I'll be surprised if you make the next five minutes." Gary laughed. Jason just groaned in response, apparently already half asleep. "See?" Gary asked, looking back at Robbie who just grinned.

"Looks like we're on our own, Gaz." Robbie laughed.

"Tell me about it." He said. "One of them will wake up in a bit, I suspect."

"True, what should you and I do while these three sleep, then?" Robbie asked.

"Sleep?" Gary suggested. "I think these three have the best idea."

"Yep, sleeping is very good." Jason mumbled from where he sat next to Howard by the window, his head no resting on his friend's shoulder.

"Says the insomniac." Robbie told him. Gary just laughed. "All right, I'll try and sleep." Robbie turned back around and looked at Mark, still fast asleep next to him.

Without meaning to, Robbie yawned before leaning on Mark, resting his head on his shoulder and closed his eyes.

...

By the time they arrived in Sydney, it was one in the morning the next day. Thankfully, the airport wasn't that manic and they managed to get out of the building and into the taxi without too much hassle.

As they were driven to the hotel, Jason looked out of the window at the bright lights that covered the city in the dark. Out of all five of them, he was the most awake and so took the time to take a look at the surroundings they were in. It had been ages since they last came here, but the city never seemed to change. It was still as magnificent as it had been the last time they came here together and, suddenly, Jason was happy that he had agreed to come. If he hadn't, he would never have got to be reminded of the beauty of the place.

In the back of the seven-seater taxi, Gary was on his phone, sending a text to Dawn and the kids; Howard was on twitter, tweeting a few of the pictures he had taken on the plane while most of them had been asleep; Robbie was listening to his IPod, his head gently moving in time to the beat of the music, making Jason wonder what he was listening to and Mark was sitting silently with his head resting on Robbie's shoulder. From the way he looked, Jason knew he wasn't far off falling asleep and the way Robbie's arm was wrapped around his shoulders told him that Robbie knew it too.

Eventually, they made it to the hotel. The lights shone bright against the blackness of the sky. There were flags hanging from the outside of the hotel and, as the five of them stepped out into the warm night air, the smell of sea water filled their noses.

Saying thank you to the taxi driver, they grabbed their suitcases from the boot and walked up to the hotel. Unlike many other hotels they had been to in the past (and indeed the present) there were no fans camping out in the night in sleeping bags and makeshift beds. Now, either Jonathan had managed to get them here completely unnoticed or they were less well-known over here than they originally thought they were. Either way, they were thankful they managed to get up to their rooms without any hassle or fans wanting autographs.

"God, I'm so tired." Mark groaned as he and Robbie entered their room on the third floor of the hotel. "And if I have to climb that many stairs again at this time in the morning, I will die." He said, leaving his suitcase by the bed and collapsing on the mattress.

"I did tell you there was a lift, but you didn't listen." Robbie said, moving both suitcases towards the wardrobe by the wall.

"Mmm," Was all Mark said as he buried his face into one of the pillows.

"You going to sleep, then?" Robbie asked, sitting on the bed next to Mark. Mark just nodded against the pillows. "All right then," Robbie bent down and kissed Mark's hair. He knew Mark was asleep seconds later and so breathed a small laugh and untied his shoes, putting them on the floor beside the bed and pulling the thin duvet cover up over Mark. In his sleep, Mark rolled over and hugged the duvet to himself.

A few minutes later, Robbie was ready for bed and climbed in under the duvet next to Mark, rolling over onto his side, facing his partner. He watched Mark sleep for a while, watching as a small smile made its way onto the smaller man's face and Robbie stroked his hair. Soon enough, Robbie closed his eyes and fell asleep himself, holding Mark to him as he slept.

If only they had realised then just how much of an impact this trip was going to have on the five of them...


End file.
